Donald Trump gave a nearly two-hour speech to conclude the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Thursday evening.
The former president formally accepted the Republican presidential nomination and reflected solemnly on surviving Saturday’s assassination attempt during his record-breaking address before balloons fell from the Fiserv Forum ceiling at its conclusion, amid thunderous applause.
His wife Melania Trump, the former first lady, also joined him on stage for a brief kiss at the conclusion, having sat with vice presidential candidate JD Vance to hear his keynote speech.
Trump began by describing his brush with death in Pennsylvania five days ago, remarking: “If I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be here tonight.”
He also kissed the helmet of retired fire chief Corey Comperatore, who was killed at the Saturday rally.
Throughout the speech, Trump peddled many of his often-repeated arguments, including the baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen, and that the world is on the brink of “World War III” but only mentioned Joe Biden by name twice, denoucing his record in office.
Key Points
- Trump recounts assassination attempt in great detail during record-breaking RNC speech
- Former president says Americans must ‘rise above past differences’
- Melania kisses Trump in rare public appearance
Key moments from Trump’s RNC speech as he formally accepts presidential nomination
09:00
Joe Sommerlad
Trump recounts assassination attempt in great detail during RNC speech as he says its ‘painful’ to tell the story
08:30
Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
If you’re just joining us, Donald Trump brought the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee to a close on Thursday by delivering the longest speech in the event’s history as he accepted his party’s invitation to be its presidential nominee for the third successive election cycle.
And, just five days after a .22 caliber bullet came within inches of ending his life, Trump recounted his brush with death in Pennsylvania and cast himself as a triumphant hero.
The former president, who wore a bandage on the ear that was grazed during the attempt on his life, told the crowd of delegates and supporters that he was “not supposed to be here” and credited his presence on the stage in Wisconsin to “the grace of almighty God.”
Eric Garcia and Andrew Feinberg bring you this full report on an epic evening.
Watch: Moment Trump crowd listens to ex-president describe assassination attempt
08:00
John Bowden
The Independent was on the floor of the RNC convention on Thursday as Donald Trump discussed the apparent attempt on his life before thousands of people in Milwaukee’s Fiserv Center.
Analysis: Trump tramples on Republican Party effort to give him image makeover
07:50
Namita Singh
For four nights at Donald Trump’s nominating convention in Milwaukee, a roster of speakers attempted to give one of the most divisive politicians in recent US history a makeover, describing him as a loving and caring family man whose near-assassination at a rally on Saturday had changed him.
Early in his speech on Thursday night, as he accepted his party’s presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, it seemed Trump had bought into the carefully orchestrated effort to repackage him as a humbler, unifying figure, more palatable to swing voters who will be crucial to winning the Nov. 5 election.
Trump had told the Washington Examiner earlier in the week that he had torn up the original speech he planned to give in favor of one preaching national unity after his near brush with death.
And for the first few minutes of his speech, Trump sought to do that. He said he wanted to be a president for all Americans, including Democrats, and wanted to heal the divided country. He recounted in detail the attempt to assassinate him last Saturday, which he said deeply affected him, and spoke movingly of a supporter killed by the gunman.
“In an age when our politics too often divide us, now is the time to remember that we are all fellow citizens,” Trump said.
That new version of Trump lasted barely half an hour.
Then the Trump more familiar to Americans - the bombastic thrower of insults who revels in demonising his opponents - re-emerged, trampling over the message of unity so painstakingly choreographed by the Republican National Committee this week.
Some GOP voters welcome Trump’s somewhat softened tone at RNC
07:36
Namita Singh
For those conservative voters long turned off by former president Donald Trump’s rhetoric, his somewhat softened tone in accepting the Republican nomination on Thursday night was a welcome relief.“He’s much improved,” said Dave Struthers, a 57-year-old farmer from Collins, Iowa, after watching the beginning of Trump’s speech in the basement of his farmhouse. “It’s more of a conversation with the American people, rather than yelling at them.”
Trump, who has a long history of divisive commentary, has said shoplifters should be immediately shot, suggested the United States’ top general be executed as a traitor and mocked Democratic representative Nancy Pelosi’s husband, who was beaten with a hammer by a far-right conspiracy theorist.
But on Thursday night in Milwaukee, he sported a white bandage over his right ear, which was pierced by a bullet from a would-be assassin just days earlier, and spoke in a quieter, more relaxed tone for at least the first part of the speech. He described his experience of the shooting and called for an end to discord, division and demonisation in national politics.
Nevertheless, many of his talking points remained familiar and his rhetoric grew more acerbic as the 93-minute speech wore on. He claimed that Democrats are destroying America, derided the prosecutions against him as a partisan witch hunt, warned of an “invasion” at the US-Mexico border and insisted, without evidence, that murder rates in Central and South American countries were down because they were sending their killers to the US.
Alina Habba’s tearful tribute to ‘my friend’ Trump
07:31
Namita Singh
Attorney Alina Habba gave a tearful tribute to her ‘friend’ former President Donald Trump during her appearance at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night.
“I know you’re all used to hearing me shouting outside a courthouse, but tonight I want to take you behind the law and behind the headlines and share with you a side of President Trump that reveals his character, his kindness, and his commitment to saving this great country,” she said.
Habba was branded as a loser by some legal observers after writer E Jean Carroll was awarded $83.3m in a defamation trial late last year. Carroll argued that Trump defamed her after he rejected her claim that he sexually assaulted her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.
Report:
Eric Trump works in his ‘6’5’ height while attacking trans athletes in RNC speech
07:00
Katie Hawkinson
Eric Trump managed to work in his height as he bashed trans athletes during his speech on the final night of the Republican National Convention on Thursday.
Insisting his dad is fighting for the “soul of America,” the son of former President Donald Trump ticked off a laundry list of grievances with the Biden administration in his speech, which touched on energy, the economy, infrastructure, the southern border, the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the Middle East, the fentanyl crisis, and crime.
He then attacked “male athletes, guys my height – six foot five,” whom he said “are swimming in women’s sports” and “destroying the dreams of young girls who have trained every minute of their lives.”
Read on:
Video: RNC crowd watches as Donald Trump describes moment of his assassination attempt
06:50
Namita Singh
Barron Trump: What we know about Donald Trump’s youngest son
06:47
Namita Singh
Donald Trump’s youngest son Barron Trump is a recent addition to the political scene, having been officially introduced by his father to supporters at a Miami rally earlier this month.
The 18-year-old received a wild reception at the Doral resort on 9 July and waved to the crowd. It prompted his father to joke that he was “more popular” than his other sons, Don Jr and Eric.
Long shielded from the spotlight by his mother Melania, Barron was dragged into the headlines in April when Trump complained that the judge in his New York hush money trial would not allow him to attend the teen’s graduation.
Read more about him in this joint report from Joe Sommerlad and Mike Bedigan:
In video: Kid Rock fires up RNC crowd with 'American Badass' rendition
06:37
Namita Singh
Trump recounts attempt on his life, then abandons unity theme in marathon convention speech
06:37
Namita Singh
Donald Trump described on Thursday how he narrowly survived an attempt on his life, telling a rapt audience at the Republican National Convention in his first speech since the attack that he was only there “by the grace of Almighty God”.
“I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear,” he said during a 14-minute account, a thick bandage still covering his ear. “I said to myself, ‘Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet.’”
When he told the Milwaukee crowd he was “not supposed to be here”, the delegates chanted back, “Yes you are!”
As photos of a bloodied Trump showing on screens behind him, the former president praised the Secret Service agents that rushed to his side and paid tribute to the volunteer firefighter who was killed, Corey Comperatore, kissing his fire helmet.
Mr Trump struck an unusually conciliatory tone during the speech’s opening moments, when he formally accepted the Republican presidential nomination for the November election.
“I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America,” he said, in a marked shift in tenor for the typically bellicose former president.
But he swiftly pivoted to well-worn attacks on the Biden administration, which he said was “destroying” the country. He claimed without evidence that his criminal indictments were part of a Democratic conspiracy, predicted president Joe Biden, his Democratic rival, would usher in “World War Three”, and described what he called an “invasion” of migrants over the southern border.
‘Same Trump, different night’: Biden-Harris campaign lashes out at Republican’s RNC speech
06:25
Namita Singh
Donald Trump accepted his party’s presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in a speech that described in detail the assassination attempt on him before laying out a sweeping populist agenda, particularly on immigration.
Joe Biden’s campaign team was quick to lash out at the former president’s rhetoric.
“Folks, Donald Trump just wrapped up another speech, this time from the Republican convention. It was the same Trump that we know, just on a different night. He said that he would bring unity. Meanwhile, he stoked the flames of hatred and division,” it said in a mail.
Mr Trump’s address, the longest convention speech in modern history at just under 93 minutes, marked the climax and conclusion of a massive four-day Republican pep rally that drew thousands of conservative activists and elected officials to swing-state Wisconsin.
While he spoke in a gentler tone than at his usual rallies, Mr Trump outlined an agenda led by what he promised would be the largest deportation operation in US history.
He repeatedly accused people crossing the US-Mexico border illegally of staging an “invasion” and teased new tariffs on trade and an “America first” foreign policy.
“He said he would bring safety. But he also praised Hannibal Lecter and said he would “round up millions” of people into mass detention camps. (I’m not kidding),” said the Biden campaign, in reference to his remarks about the Silence of the Lamb antagonist that Trump often invokes to vilify immigrants.
“He said that he would fix things. Do you remember his administration? He only created more mess for the rest of us to clean up.“I don’t mean to be facetious, but bringing people together and getting things done just isn’t in Trump’s DNA. And we can’t afford four more years of it.”
Tucker Carlson claims that Trump offered to stand guard outside his house in unscripted speech to ‘leader’
06:00
Eric Garcia
Former Fox News host and conservative provocateur Tucker Carlson said that former president Donald Trump offered to stand guard at his home after demonstrators came to his home in Washington after 2018.
Carlson received the biggest applause at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on the fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention ahead of Trump’s speech.
Fox News and Carlson parted ways last year, but he remains a massively popular and influential figure.
Read more:
Watch: Trump formally accepts Republican presidential nomination at RNC
05:37
Katie Hawkinson
Melania kisses Trump after longest speech in RNC history
05:26
Katie Hawkinson
Donald Trump gave the longest keynote speech in RNC history at 93 minutes.
Trump ended his speech with a promise to “make America great again.” Balloons fell from the ceiling as Melania Trump joined him on stage, giving him a brief kiss.
Other Trump family members rushed the stage to celebrate with the former president.
Trump says Americans must ‘rise above past differences'
05:05
Katie Hawkinson
Earlier this week, Donald Trump promised his speech would focus on unity in the wake of the assassination attempt against him on Saturday.
“Just like our ancestors, we must now come together, rise above past differences, any disagreements have to be put aside and go forward united as one people, one nation, allegiance to one great, beautiful — I think it’s so beautiful — American flag,” Trump said during his keynote speech.
“You will be forgotten no longer,” he continued. “We will press forward together. We will win, win, win.”
Trump then led the audience in a chant: “Win, win, win!”
Trump falsely claims he ‘stopped the missile launchers from North Korea’
05:00
Katie Hawkinson
Donald Trump falsely claimed he “stopped the missile launchers from North Korea.”
“Now North Korea is acting up again, but when we get back, I get along with him,” Trump said of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump’s claim is not true. North Korea continued to launch short-range missiles while Trump was in office, NBC News reports.
UAW slams Trump for union claims
04:52
Katie Hawkinson
The United Automobile, Aerosapce and Agricultural Implement Workers of America slammed Donald Trump during his Republican National Convention speech.
“@RealDonaldTrump is a scab and a billionaire and that’s who he represents. We know which side we’re on. Not his,” the union posted on X moments ago.
Trump called for the union president to be fired during his keynote address.
“The leader of the United Auto Workers should be fired immediately, and every single auto worker, union and non union should be voting for Donald Trump, because we’re going to bring back car manufacturing, and we’re going to bring it back fast,” the former president said.
.@realDonaldTrump is a scab and a billionaire and that's who he represents.
— UAW (@UAW) July 19, 2024
We know which side we're on.
Not his.
Trump shows us the chart that ‘saved his life'
04:44
Katie Hawkinson
Donald Trump showed Republican National Convention attendees the chart that he looked at milliseconds before Thomas Crooks opened fire at his Butler, Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.
If he hadn’t turned his head to look at the chart, Trump said, the “bullet would have perfectly hit its mark.”
“That was the chart that saved my life,” Trump told the Republican National Convention.
Trump names Biden — but says he’ll only do it once
04:26
Katie Hawkinson
Donald Trump name-dropped his opponent during his keynote speech — saying he would only do so once.
“If you took the ten worst presidents in the history of the United States, the ten worst added them up, they will not have done the damage that Biden has done,” Trump said.
“I’m not going to use the name anymore, just one time. The damage that he’s done to this country is unthinkable.”
Trump repeats false claim that 2020 election was stolen
04:18
Katie Hawkinson
Donald Trump alluded to his baseless claim that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent.
There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in 2020. However, Trump continues to claim the election was stolen from him.
“This administration can’t come close to solving the problems we’re dealing with...we have people that are a lot less than fierce, except when it comes to cheating on elections and a couple of other things,” Trump remarked from the convention stage.
Trump also falsely claimed his political opponents relied on the COVID-19 pandemic to “cheat” the election.
“They use COVID to cheat — we’re never going to let it happen again.”
Trump repeats ‘World War III’ claim
04:15
Katie Hawkinson
Donald Trump peddled his much-repeated claim that the globe is on the brink of “World War III” because of nuclear weapons.
“War is now raging in Europe and the Middle East, a growing specter of conflict hangs over Taiwan, Korea, the Philippines and all of Asia, and our planet is teetering on the edge of World War II, and this will be a war like no other war because of weaponry,” Trump said at the Republican National Convention. “The weapons are no longer army tanks going back and forth, shooting at each other. These weapons are obliteration. It’s time for a change.”
Soon after, Trump began harping on inflation, promising to “lower the cost of energy.”
“Drill, baby, drill,” the former president chanted as the crowd roared.
Trump kisses Corey Comperatore’s helmet
04:03
Katie Hawkinson
Donald Trump kissed the helmet of Corey Comperatore, the retired fire chief killed by Thomas Matthew Crooks during his Butler, Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.
Comperatore died after diving on top of his wife and daughter to protect them from Crooks’ gunfire.
Trump also flashed a $1 million check donated by a friend to support Comperatore’s family and the two others injured at the rally.
Trump recounts assassination attempt in great detail during RNC speech as he says its ‘painful’ to tell the story
03:57
Eric Garcia
Five days after a .22 caliber bullet came within inches of ending his life, Donald Trump recounted his survival and cast himself as a triumphant hero as he accepted his party’s presidential nomination for the third consecutive election cycle on the final day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday.
The ex-president, who wore a bandage on the ear that was grazed during the attempt on his life, told the crowd of delegates and supporters that he was “not supposed to be here” and credited his presence on the stage to “the grace of almighty God.”
Read more:
Crowd reacts as Trump describes assassination attempt
03:47
Katie Hawkinson, John Bowden
As Donald Trump described the assassination attempt against him, the crowd joined in on the remarks with cheers and chants of their own.
Trump earned a big laugh when he told the crowd that ears bleed more than any other part of the body.
When Trump said he is “not supposed to be here” following the near-miss gunshot, the crowd responded by chanting, “Yes you are, yes you are!”
“I raised my right arm, looked at the 1000s and 1000s of people that were breathlessly waiting and started shouting, ‘Fight, fight, fight,’” Trump told the crowd.
Attendees responded by chanting, “fight!”
‘If I had not moved my head...I would not be here’: Trump describes assassination attempt
03:41
Katie Hawkinson
For the first time, Donald Trump is speaking about the assassination attempt against him during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
“It was a warm, beautiful day in the early evening in Butler township in the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Trump said from the Republican National Convention stage.
“Behind me and to the right was a large screen that was displaying a chart of border crossings under my leadership, the numbers were absolutely amazing,” he continued. “In order to see the chart, I started to like this turn to my right and was ready to begin a little bit further turn, which I’m very lucky I didn’t do when I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear.”
Trump said he moved his hand to his ear and saw it was covered in blood.
“I immediately knew it was very serious that we were under attack, and in one movement, proceeded to drop to the ground,” Trump told attendees. “Bullets were continuing to fly as very brave Secret Service agents rushed to the stage — and they really did, they rushed to the stage.”
“If I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be here tonight.”
Trump told the audience he is “not supposed to be here tonight.” The crowd responded with chants of: “Yes you are, yes you are!”
Donald Trump takes the stage
03:36
Katie Hawkinson
Donald Trump takes the stage for his keynote address after Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, gave an impassioned speech in support of the former president and introduced him to the Republican National Convention.
See it: Kid Rock performs at RNC
03:31
Katie Hawkinson
Kid Rock gave an energetic performance at the Republican National Convention before introducing his brother, Dana White.
Eric Trump on assassination attempt: ‘Never have I been more proud to be a Trump’
03:08
Katie Hawkinson
Eric Trump told the Republican National Convention about his reaction to the assassination attempt against his father during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
“A man who survived a bullet that was intended to eliminate him permanently from our future and from our family,” Eric Trump said. “Never have I been more proud to be a Trump.”
“Dad five days ago, Lara, Luke, Carolina and I held our breath as we saw blood pour across your face,” he continued. “By the grace of God, divine intervention and your guardian angels above you survived.”
The 40-year-old then recounted the moments after the bullet struck Donald Trump’s ear.
“The whole world saw your strength as you stood up, you wiped the blood off your face, you put your fist in the air, in a moment that will be remembered as one of the most courageous acts in the history of American politics, you shouted: Fight!”
The crowd broke out into applause, chanting, “Fight, fight.”
Eric Trump speaks ahead of father’s keynote address: ‘Not a threat to democracy'
02:57
Katie Hawkinson
Eric Trump is speaking at the Republican National Convention minutes ahead of his father’s keynote address.
His brother, Donald Trump Jr, and neice Kai Trump both spoke on Wednesday evening in support of the former president.
“He brought manufacturing back to America small businesses flourished,” Eric Trump said of his father. “He did what he promised he put America first we were winning. Donald Trump made America great again.”
“But he also created a movement, a movement that threatened the special interest of the political elites, a movement that cast a bright light on the institution’s weaponized against the American people,” he continued.
The 40-year-old said his father is “not a threat to democracy.”
“He is a threat to those who despise our republic, many of whom are bought and sold bribed and coerced, people who have never signed the front of a check, and who had been dependent on the government their entire adult lives,” Eric Trump said as he was met with cheers from the audience.
Melania makes rare appearance at RNC with Trump as family including Jared and Ivanka fill box on final night
02:50
Mike Bedigan
Melania Trump has finally made an appearance alongside her husband on the final night of the Republican National Convention, as the former president prepares to make his first speech since the attempt on his life.
The former first lady was pictured standing behind Trump as he signed paperwork to officially accept the Republican nomination for presidential candidate on Thursday.
Hulk Hogan takes the stage: ‘Trump is the toughest of them all'
02:39
Katie Hawkinson
Famous wrestler Hulk Hogan took the stage for an energetic speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night.
“Over my career, I’ve been in the ring with some of the biggest, some of the baddest dudes on the planet, and I’ve squared off against warriors, ooh, yeah, savages,” Hogan said. “And I’ve even, like I said, body-slammed giants in the middle of the ring. And I know tough guys, but let me tell you something, brother Donald Trump is the toughest of them all.”
“You know something, when I came here tonight, there was so much energy in this room, I felt maybe I was in Madison Square Garden getting ready to win another world title... the vibe was so intense,” he continued.
“The energy was so crazy, it felt like maybe I was gonna press that no good sticky giant over my head and slam him through the mat, Brother!”
Trump re-enters RNC with kids, grandchildren in tow
02:34
Katie Hawkinson
Donald Trump made yet another entrance at the Republican National Convention tonight, this time accompanied by several family members.
Trump is now sitting among several of his children and grandchildren, including Donald Trump Jr and Kai Trump, who both spoke on night three of the convention.
‘The only crime President Trump has committed is loving America’: Alina Habba’s tearful tribute to ‘my friend’
02:18
Gustaf Kilander
Attorney Alina Habba gave a tearful tribute to former President Donald Trump during her appearance at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night.
“I know you’re all used to hearing me shouting outside a courthouse, but tonight I want to take you behind the law and behind the headlines and share with you a side of President Trump that reveals his character, his kindness, and his commitment to saving this great country,” she said.
Read more:
Tucker Carlson claims that Trump offered to stand guard outside his house in unscripted speech to ‘leader'
02:12
Eric Garcia
Former Fox News host and conservative provocateur Tucker Carlson said that former president Donald Trump offered to stand guard at his home after demostrators came to his home in Washington after 2018.
Carlson received the biggest applause at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on the fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention ahead of Trump’s speech.
Fox News and Carlson parted ways last year, but he remains a massively popular and influential figure.
Read more:
Watch: Republican National Convention attendees react to death of Lou Dobbs
02:07
Katie Hawkinson
Tucker Carlson says Trump turned down chance to ‘inflame’ the nation, claims opponents would have done so
01:52
Katie Hawkinson
Right-wing media personality Tucker Carlson claimed Donald Trump passed up the opportunity to “inflame” the US after he was shot at his Butler, Pennsylvania rally on Saturday.
“He turned down the most obvious opportunity in politics to inflame the nation after being shot, which is an opportunity that almost every other politician I’ve ever met, and certainly his opponents, would have taken instantly,” Carlson said.
“This is the most responsible, unifying behavior of a leader, I think I’ve ever seen,” he continued.
Carlson also claimed that “Antifa” showed up at his home and that Trump offered to “stand guard” at his house the next day during the unscripted speech on Thursday night.
Tucker Carlson met with thunderous applause, cheers from crowd
01:44
Katie Hawkinson
Right-wing media personality Tucker Carlson took the stage at the Republican National Convention this evening.
The crowd met him with thunderous applause and roaring cheers.
Carlson appears to be improvising his speech, with the Fiserv Forum’s teleprompter showing a countdown timer instead of his speech text.
Speaker Mike Johnson admits he won’t be happy to allow Democratic states to keep abortion rights
01:35
Katie Hawkinson
House Speaker Mike Johnson has rejected the notion that the Republican platform on abortion means that the party is happy for Democratic states to give wide access to abortion.
“I don’t think that’s what it means at all,” he said, when asked about abortion access in blue states by Politico on Thursday. “I think it’s a